posted 11-19-2010 09:03 AM               

Local artist Gene Roncka has created the second in a series of ornaments featuring local history past and present. The first ornament depicted Anderson's first space flight in 2007 on Shuttle Atlantis when he spent five months in space on the International Space Station. The inaugural ornament also featured pioneers traveling the Oxbow Trail to the Saline Ford on Salt Creek.

This second ornament, which recently went on sale, features Anderson suited up for one of the three spacewalks he participated in during his April 2010 shuttle mission. The figure is surrounded by other illustrations of his career at NASA, including the Shuttle Discovery, the International Space Station and U.S. flags.

Both ornaments are 24-karat gold over mirror brass, but the latest ornament has the addition of red and white to make Anderson's figure pop out, as well as the flags. The astronaut also can turn to create a three-dimensional image.

An earlier article by the Gazette shares that Anderson approved the design of the 2010 ornament while he was still flying on the STS-131 mission.

During his mission, Roncka sent a sketch of the new ornament to Anderson via email.

"I thought it was cool and I said, ‘Go for it!'" Anderson said after returning from the mission on April 19.